Not Every Game I Play Is A Video Game (Or is It)…

It might seem like I play a lot of video games, and who
knows, maybe I do. But I have lots of other interests too. I'm always looking
for new things to try. So, the other day when my boss was passing out booster packs
of Magic: The Gathering (MTG) cards for a little interoffice league, I decided
to check it out. And despite having never played the game before, I was at
least somewhat familiar with the game. Maybe not the rules and game play, but
the general overview.

Magic is a tradable
card game (TCG) where you build your collection of cards by trading with your
friends, assembling decks of cards, and battling against an opponent and their
deck. You cast powerful spells and summon monstrous creatures aiming to knock your
opponent down from 20 life to zero. The game is constantly changing as new
cards are released throughout the year. As you get new cards, whether from
these new sets or through trading with your friends, you can continuously
update your decks and discover a whole new game!

I knew the game was old, but wow...did it really come out in
1993? They say it's the first trading card game, and whether that is true or
not, it definitely has one of the largest followings with an estimated 12
million players. Not too shabby. You can find MTG at nearly every trade show
and industry event. You could even make the argument Magic: The Gathering was
the inspiration for other popular (video) games like Hearthstone and I'd go as
far as saying...League of Legends. There seems to be a lot of similarities.

I never really realized the influence this game has on the
video game industry. There are a ton of gamers and industry professionals that
play the game. In fact, about a week after I was introduced to the game, I saw
an article posted at Game Informer about video game designer cards being added
to the game. You can read the article here
if you're interested. As a big fan of Minecraft, of course I'm most interested
in Notch's Aggressive Mining card.

So, I was still working on building my deck and familiarizing
myself with the rules of the game when I discovered...

You can play the game
in a number of ways-from your console to your dining room table to your desktop
PC, Magic: The Gathering is waiting for you.

Say what?

I can play Magic: The Gathering on PC or Xbox 360?

Sweet.

I'm no expert of the game (I barely qualify as a rookie) but
I will say the digital version of the game is a near perfect emulation of the
card game. It's not as much fun as playing across the table from a real person,
but it is a great utility to train you up and increase your proficiency with
the mechanics of the game.

Given the game has been out for more than a decade, I'm kind
of surprised I started playing this at all, but now that I am, I can see how
and why so many people think it is as addictive as it is.

Do you play Magic: The Gathering or anything like it? And do
you play the actual card game or a digital version of the card game (or both)? If you're at all interested in the game you can find everything you'll ever need to know about it right here.